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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1507;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\lang1033\b\f0\fs24 THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM\b0\par
\par
Impia tortorum longos hic turba furores\par
Sanguinis innocui, non satiata, aluit.\par
Sospite nunc patria, fracto nunc funeris antro,\par
Mors ubi dira fuit vita salusque patent.\par
\par
\i [Quatrain composed for the gates of a market to be erected upon the\par
site of the Jacobin Club House at Paris.]\i0\par
\par
I WAS sick -- sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at\par
length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses\par
were leaving me. The sentence -- the dread sentence of death -- was\par
the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears. After that,\par
the sound of the inquisitorial voices seemed merged in one dreamy\par
indeterminate hum. It conveyed to my soul the idea of revolution --\par
perhaps from its association in fancy with the burr of a mill wheel.\par
This only for a brief period; for presently I heard no more. Yet, for\par
a while, I saw; but with how terrible an exaggeration! I saw the lips\par
of the black-robed judges. They appeared to me white -- whiter than\par
the sheet upon which I trace these words -- and thin even to\par
grotesqueness; thin with the intensity of their expression of\par
firmness -- of immoveable resolution -- of stern contempt of human\par
torture. I saw that the decrees of what to me was Fate, were still\par
issuing from those lips. I saw them writhe with a deadly locution. I\par
saw them fashion the syllables of my name; and I shuddered because no\par
sound succeeded. I saw, too, for a few moments of delirious horror,\par
the soft and nearly imperceptible waving of the sable draperies which\par
enwrapped the walls of the apartment. And then my vision fell upon\par
the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect\par
of charity, and seemed white and slender angels who would save me;\par
but then, all at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my\par
spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill as if I had touched\par
the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became\par
meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them\par
there would be no help. And then there stole into my fancy, like a\par
rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in\par
the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long\par
before it attained full appreciation; but just as my spirit came at\par
length properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the judges\par
vanished, as if magically, from before me; the tall candles sank into\par
nothingness; their flames went out utterly; the blackness of darkness\par
supervened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing\par
descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, night\par
were the universe.\par
\par
I had swooned; but still will not say that all of consciousness was\par
lost. What of it there remained I will not attempt to define, or even\par
to describe; yet all was not lost. In the deepest slumber -- no! In\par
delirium -- no! In a swoon -- no! In death -- no! even in the grave\par
all is not lost. Else there is no immortality for man. Arousing from\par
the most profound of slumbers, we break the gossamer web of some\par
dream. Yet in a second afterward, (so frail may that web have been)\par
we remember not that we have dreamed. In the return to life from the\par
swoon there are two stages; first, that of the sense of mental or\par
spiritual; secondly, that of the sense of physical, existence. It\par
seems probable that if, upon reaching the second stage, we could\par
recall the impressions of the first, we should find these impressions\par
eloquent in memories of the gulf beyond. And that gulf is -- what?\par
How at least shall we distinguish its shadows from those of the tomb?\par
But if the impressions of what I have termed the first stage, are\par
not, at will, recalled, yet, after long interval, do they not come\par
unbidden, while we marvel whence they come? He who has never swooned,\par
is not he who finds strange palaces and wildly familiar faces in\par
coals that glow; is not he who beholds floating in mid-air the sad\par
visions that the many may not view; is not he who ponders over the\par
perfume of some novel flower -- is not he whose brain grows\par
bewildered with the meaning of some musical cadence which has never\par
before arrested his attention.\par
\par
Amid frequent and thoughtful endeavors to remember; amid earnest\par
struggles to regather some token of the state of seeming nothingness\par
into which my soul had lapsed, there have been moments when I have\par
dreamed of success; there have been brief, very brief periods when I\par
have conjured up remembrances which the lucid reason of a later epoch\par
assures me could have had reference only to that condition of seeming\par
unconsciousness. These shadows of memory tell, indistinctly, of tall\par
figures that lifted and bore me in silence down -- down -- still down\par
-- till a hideous dizziness oppressed me at the mere idea of the\par
interminableness of the descent. They tell also of a vague horror at\par
my heart, on account of that heart's unnatural stillness. Then comes\par
a sense of sudden motionlessness throughout all things; as if those\par
who bore me (a ghastly train!) had outrun, in their descent, the\par
limits of the limitless, and paused from the wearisomeness of their\par
toil. After this I call to mind flatness and dampness; and then all\par
is madness -- the madness of a memory which busies itself among\par
forbidden things.\par
\par
Very suddenly there came back to my soul motion and sound -- the\par
tumultuous motion of the heart, and, in my ears, the sound of its\par
beating. Then a pause in which all is blank. Then again sound, and\par
motion, and touch -- a tingling sensation pervading my frame. Then\par
the mere consciousness of existence, without thought -- a condition\par
which lasted long. Then, very suddenly, thought, and shuddering\par
terror, and earnest endeavor to comprehend my true state. Then a\par
strong desire to lapse into insensibility. Then a rushing revival of\par
soul and a successful effort to move. And now a full memory of the\par
trial, of the judges, of the sable draperies, of the sentence, of the\par
sickness, of the swoon. Then entire forgetfulness of all that\par
followed; of all that a later day and much earnestness of endeavor\par
have enabled me vaguely to recall.\par
\par
So far, I had not opened my eyes. I felt that I lay upon my back,\par
unbound. I reached out my hand, and it fell heavily upon something\par
damp and hard. There I suffered it to remain for many minutes, while\par
I strove to imagine where and what I could be. I longed, yet dared\par
not to employ my vision. I dreaded the first glance at objects around\par
me. It was not that I feared to look upon things horrible, but that I\par
grew aghast lest there should be nothing to see. At length, with a\par
wild desperation at heart, I quickly unclosed my eyes. My worst\par
thoughts, then, were confirmed. The blackness of eternal night\par
encompassed me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness\par
seemed to oppress and stifle me. The atmosphere was intolerably\par
close. I still lay quietly, and made effort to exercise my reason. I\par
brought to mind the inquisitorial proceedings, and attempted from\par
that point to deduce my real condition. The sentence had passed; and\par
it appeared to me that a very long interval of time had since\par
elapsed. Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself actually dead.\par
Such a supposition, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is\par
altogether inconsistent with real existence; -- but where and in what\par
state was I? The condemned to death, I knew, perished usually at the\par
autos-da-fe, and one of these had been held on the very night of the\par
day of my trial. Had I been remanded to my dungeon, to await the next\par
sacrifice, which would not take place for many months? This I at once\par
saw could not be. Victims had been in immediate demand. Moreover, my\par
dungeon, as well as all the condemned cells at Toledo, had stone\par
floors, and light was not altogether excluded.\par
\par
A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents upon my\par
heart, and for a brief period, I once more relapsed into\par
insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started to my feet,\par
trembling convulsively in every fibre. I thrust my arms wildly above\par
and around me in all directions. I felt nothing; yet dreaded to move\par
a step, lest I should be impeded by the walls of a tomb. Perspiration\par
burst from every pore, and stood in cold big beads upon my forehead.\par
The agony of suspense grew at length intolerable, and I cautiously\par
moved forward, with my arms extended, and my eyes straining from\par
their sockets, in the hope of catching some faint ray of light. I\par
proceeded for many paces; but still all was blackness and vacancy. I\par
breathed more freely. It seemed evident that mine was not, at least,\par
the most hideous of fates.\par
\par
And now, as I still continued to step cautiously onward, there came\par
thronging upon my recollection a thousand vague rumors of the horrors\par
of Toledo. Of the dungeons there had been strange things narrated --\par
fables I had always deemed them -- but yet strange, and too ghastly\par
to repeat, save in a whisper. Was I left to perish of starvation in\par
this subterranean world of darkness; or what fate, perhaps even more\par
fearful, awaited me? That the result would be death, and a death of\par
more than customary bitterness, I knew too well the character of my\par
judges to doubt. The mode and the hour were all that occupied or\par
distracted me.\par
\par
My outstretched hands at length encountered some solid obstruction.\par
It was a wall, seemingly of stone masonry -- very smooth, slimy, and\par
cold. I followed it up; stepping with all the careful distrust with\par
which certain antique narratives had inspired me. This process,\par
however, afforded me no means of ascertaining the dimensions of my\par
dungeon; as I might make its circuit, and return to the point whence\par
I set out, without being aware of the fact; so perfectly uniform\par
seemed the wall. I therefore sought the knife which had been in my\par
pocket, when led into the inquisitorial chamber; but it was gone; my\par
clothes had been exchanged for a wrapper of coarse serge. I had\par
thought of forcing the blade in some minute crevice of the masonry,\par
so as to identify my point of departure. The difficulty,\par
nevertheless, was but trivial; although, in the disorder of my fancy,\par
it seemed at first insuperable. I tore a part of the hem from the\par
robe and placed the fragment at full length, and at right angles to\par
the wall. In groping my way around the prison, I could not fail to\par
encounter this rag upon completing the circuit. So, at least I\par
thought: but I had not counted upon the extent of the dungeon, or\par
upon my own weakness. The ground was moist and slippery. I staggered\par
onward for some time, when I stumbled and fell. My excessive fatigue\par
induced me to remain prostrate; and sleep soon overtook me as I lay.\par
\par
Upon awaking, and stretching forth an arm, I found beside me a loaf\par
and a pitcher with water. I was too much exhausted to reflect upon\par
this circumstance, but ate and drank with avidity. Shortly afterward,\par
I resumed my tour around the prison, and with much toil came at last\par
upon the fragment of the serge. Up to the period when I fell I had\par
counted fifty-two paces, and upon resuming my walk, I had counted\par
forty-eight more; -- when I arrived at the rag. There were in all,\par
then, a hundred paces; and, admitting two paces to the yard, I\par
presumed the dungeon to be fifty yards in circuit. I had met,\par
however, with many angles in the wall, and thus I could form no guess\par
at the shape of the vault; for vault I could not help supposing it to\par
be.\par
\par
I had little object -- certainly no hope these researches; but a\par
vague curiosity prompted me to continue them. Quitting the wall, I\par
resolved to cross the area of the enclosure. At first I proceeded\par
with extreme caution, for the floor, although seemingly of solid\par
material, was treacherous with slime. At length, however, I took\par
courage, and did not hesitate to step firmly; endeavoring to cross in\par
as direct a line as possible. I had advanced some ten or twelve paces\par
in this manner, when the remnant of the torn hem of my robe became\par
entangled between my legs. I stepped on it, and fell violently on my\par
face.\par
\par
In the confusion attending my fall, I did not immediately apprehend a\par
somewhat startling circumstance, which yet, in a few seconds\par
afterward, and while I still lay prostrate, arrested my attention. It\par
was this -- my chin rested upon the floor of the prison, but my lips\par
and the upper portion of my head, although seemingly at a less\par
elevation than the chin, touched nothing. At the same time my\par
forehead seemed bathed in a clammy vapor, and the peculiar smell of\par
decayed fungus arose to my nostrils. I put forward my arm, and\par
shuddered to find that I had fallen at the very brink of a circular\par
pit, whose extent, of course, I had no means of ascertaining at the\par
moment. Groping about the masonry just below the margin, I succeeded\par
in dislodging a small fragment, and let it fall into the abyss. For\par
many seconds I hearkened to its reverberations as it dashed against\par
the sides of the chasm in its descent; at length there was a sullen\par
plunge into water, succeeded by loud echoes. At the same moment there\par
came a sound resembling the quick opening, and as rapid closing of a\par
door overhead, while a faint gleam of light flashed suddenly through\par
the gloom, and as suddenly faded away.\par
\par
I saw clearly the doom which had been prepared for me, and\par
congratulated myself upon the timely accident by which I had escaped.\par
Another step before my fall, and the world had seen me no more. And\par
the death just avoided, was of that very character which I had\par
regarded as fabulous and frivolous in the tales respecting the\par
Inquisition. To the victims of its tyranny, there was the choice of\par
death with its direst physical agonies, or death with its most\par
hideous moral horrors. I had been reserved for the latter. By long\par
suffering my nerves had been unstrung, until I trembled at the sound\par
of my own voice, and had become in every respect a fitting subject\par
for the species of torture which awaited me.\par
\par
Shaking in every limb, I groped my way back to the wall; resolving\par
there to perish rather than risk the terrors of the wells, of which\par
my imagination now pictured many in various positions about the\par
dungeon. In other conditions of mind I might have had courage to end\par
my misery at once by a plunge into one of these abysses; but now I\par
was the veriest of cowards. Neither could I forget what I had read of\par
these pits -- that the sudden extinction of life formed no part of\par
their most horrible plan.\par
\par
Agitation of spirit kept me awake for many long hours; but at length\par
I again slumbered. Upon arousing, I found by my side, as before, a\par
loaf and a pitcher of water. A burning thirst consumed me, and I\par
emptied the vessel at a draught. It must have been drugged; for\par
scarcely had I drunk, before I became irresistibly drowsy. A deep\par
sleep fell upon me -- a sleep like that of death. How long it lasted\par
of course, I know not; but when, once again, I unclosed my eyes, the\par
objects around me were visible. By a wild sulphurous lustre, the\par
origin of which I could not at first determine, I was enabled to see\par
the extent and aspect of the prison.\par
\par
In its size I had been greatly mistaken. The whole circuit of its\par
walls did not exceed twenty-five yards. For some minutes this fact\par
occasioned me a world of vain trouble; vain indeed! for what could be\par
of less importance, under the terrible circumstances which environed\par
me, then the mere dimensions of my dungeon? But my soul took a wild\par
interest in trifles, and I busied myself in endeavors to account for\par
the error I had committed in my measurement. The truth at length\par
flashed upon me. In my first attempt at exploration I had counted\par
fifty-two paces, up to the period when I fell; I must then have been\par
within a pace or two of the fragment of serge; in fact, I had nearly\par
performed the circuit of the vault. I then slept, and upon awaking, I\par
must have returned upon my steps -- thus supposing the circuit nearly\par
double what it actually was. My confusion of mind prevented me from\par
observing that I began my tour with the wall to the left, and ended\par
it with the wall to the right.\par
\par
I had been deceived, too, in respect to the shape of the enclosure.\par
In feeling my way I had found many angles, and thus deduced an idea\par
of great irregularity; so potent is the effect of total darkness upon\par
one arousing from lethargy or sleep! The angles were simply those of\par
a few slight depressions, or niches, at odd intervals. The general\par
shape of the prison was square. What I had taken for masonry seemed\par
now to be iron, or some other metal, in huge plates, whose sutures or\par
joints occasioned the depression. The entire surface of this metallic\par
enclosure was rudely daubed in all the hideous and repulsive devices\par
to which the charnel superstition of the monks has given rise. The\par
figures of fiends in aspects of menace, with skeleton forms, and\par
other more really fearful images, overspread and disfigured the\par
walls. I observed that the outlines of these monstrosities were\par
sufficiently distinct, but that the colors seemed faded and blurred,\par
as if from the effects of a damp atmosphere. I now noticed the floor,\par
too, which was of stone. In the centre yawned the circular pit from\par
whose jaws I had escaped; but it was the only one in the dungeon.\par
\par
All this I saw indistinctly and by much effort: for my personal\par
condition had been greatly changed during slumber. I now lay upon my\par
back, and at full length, on a species of low framework of wood. To\par
this I was securely bound by a long strap resembling a surcingle. It\par
passed in many convolutions about my limbs and body, leaving at\par
liberty only my head, and my left arm to such extent that I could, by\par
dint of much exertion, supply myself with food from an earthen dish\par
which lay by my side on the floor. I saw, to my horror, that the\par
pitcher had been removed. I say to my horror; for I was consumed with\par
intolerable thirst. This thirst it appeared to be the design of my\par
persecutors to stimulate: for the food in the dish was meat pungently\par
seasoned.\par
\par
Looking upward, I surveyed the ceiling of my prison. It was some\par
thirty or forty feet overhead, and constructed much as the side\par
walls. In one of its panels a very singular figure riveted my whole\par
attention. It was the painted figure of Time as he is commonly\par
represented, save that, in lieu of a scythe, he held what, at a\par
casual glance, I supposed to be the pictured image of a huge pendulum\par
such as we see on antique clocks. There was something, however, in\par
the appearance of this machine which caused me to regard it more\par
attentively. While I gazed directly upward at it (for its position\par
was immediately over my own) I fancied that I saw it in motion. In an\par
instant afterward the fancy was confirmed. Its sweep was brief, and\par
of course slow. I watched it for some minutes, somewhat in fear, but\par
more in wonder. Wearied at length with observing its dull movement, I\par
turned my eyes upon the other objects in the cell.\par
\par
A slight noise attracted my notice, and, looking to the floor, I saw\par
several enormous rats traversing it. They had issued from the well,\par
which lay just within view to my right. Even then, while I gazed,\par
they came up in troops, hurriedly, with ravenous eyes, allured by the\par
scent of the meat. From this it required much effort and attention to\par
scare them away.\par
\par
It might have been half an hour, perhaps even an hour, (for I \par
could take but imperfect note of time) before I again cast my\par
eyes upward. What I then saw confounded and amazed me. The sweep of\par
the pendulum had increased in extent by nearly a yard. As a natural\par
consequence, its velocity was also much greater. But what mainly\par
disturbed me was the idea that had perceptibly descended. I now\par
observed -- with what horror it is needless to say -- that its nether\par
extremity was formed of a crescent of glittering steel, about a foot\par
in length from horn to horn; the horns upward, and the under edge\par
evidently as keen as that of a razor. Like a razor also, it seemed\par
massy and heavy, tapering from the edge into a solid and broad\par
structure above. It was appended to a weighty rod of brass, and the\par
whole hissed as it swung through the air.\par
\par
I could no longer doubt the doom prepared for me by monkish ingenuity\par
in torture. My cognizance of the pit had become known to the\par
inquisitorial agents -- the pit whose horrors had been destined for\par
so bold a recusant as myself -- the pit, typical of hell, and\par
regarded by rumor as the Ultima Thule of all their punishments. The\par
plunge into this pit I had avoided by the merest of accidents, I knew\par
that surprise, or entrapment into torment, formed an important\par
portion of all the grotesquerie of these dungeon deaths. Having\par
failed to fall, it was no part of the demon plan to hurl me into the\par
abyss; and thus (there being no alternative) a different and a milder\par
destruction awaited me. Milder! I half smiled in my agony as I\par
thought of such application of such a term.\par
\par
What boots it to tell of the long, long hours of horror more than\par
mortal, during which I counted the rushing vibrations of the steel!\par
Inch by inch -- line by line -- with a descent only appreciable at\par
intervals that seemed ages -- down and still down it came! Days\par
passed -- it might have been that many days passed -- ere it swept so\par
closely over me as to fan me with its acrid breath. The odor of the\par
sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed -- I wearied\par
heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically\par
mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the\par
fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at\par
the glittering death, as a child at some rare bauble.\par
\par
There was another interval of utter insensibility; it was brief; for,\par
upon again lapsing into life there had been no perceptible descent in\par
the pendulum. But it might have been long; for I knew there were\par
demons who took note of my swoon, and who could have arrested the\par
vibration at pleasure. Upon my recovery, too, I felt very -- oh,\par
inexpressibly sick and weak, as if through long inanition. Even amid\par
the agonies of that period, the human nature craved food. With\par
painful effort I outstretched my left arm as far as my bonds\par
permitted, and took possession of the small remnant which had been\par
spared me by the rats. As I put a portion of it within my lips, there\par
rushed to my mind a half formed thought of joy -- of hope. Yet what\par
business had I with hope? It was, as I say, a half formed thought --\par
man has many such which are never completed. I felt that it was of\par
joy -- of hope; but felt also that it had perished in its formation.\par
In vain I struggled to perfect -- to regain it. Long suffering had\par
nearly annihilated all my ordinary powers of mind. I was an imbecile\par
-- an idiot.\par
\par
The vibration of the pendulum was at right angles to my length. I saw\par
that the crescent was designed to cross the region of the heart. It\par
would fray the serge of my robe -- it would return and repeat its\par
operations -- again -- and again. Notwithstanding terrifically wide\par
sweep (some thirty feet or more) and the its hissing vigor of its\par
descent, sufficient to sunder these very walls of iron, still the\par
fraying of my robe would be all that, for several minutes, it would\par
accomplish. And at this thought I paused. I dared not go farther than\par
this reflection. I dwelt upon it with a pertinacity of attention --\par
as if, in so dwelling, I could arrest here the descent of the steel.\par
I forced myself to ponder upon the sound of the crescent as it should\par
pass across the garment -- upon the peculiar thrilling sensation\par
which the friction of cloth produces on the nerves. I pondered upon\par
all this frivolity until my teeth were on edge.\par
\par
Down -- steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in\par
contrasting its downward with its lateral velocity. To the right --\par
to the left -- far and wide -- with the shriek of a damned spirit; to\par
my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed\par
and howled as the one or the other idea grew predominant.\par
\par
Down -- certainly, relentlessly down! It vibrated within three inches\par
of my bosom! I struggled violently, furiously, to free my left arm.\par
This was free only from the elbow to the hand. I could reach the\par
latter, from the platter beside me, to my mouth, with great effort,\par
but no farther. Could I have broken the fastenings above the elbow, I\par
would have seized and attempted to arrest the pendulum. I might as\par
well have attempted to arrest an avalanche!\par
\par
Down -- still unceasingly -- still inevitably down! I gasped and\par
struggled at each vibration. I shrunk convulsively at its every\par
sweep. My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls with the\par
eagerness of the most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves\par
spasmodically at the descent, although death would have been a\par
relief, oh! how unspeakable! Still I quivered in every nerve to think\par
how slight a sinking of the machinery would precipitate that keen,\par
glistening axe upon my bosom. It was hope that prompted the nerve to\par
quiver -- the frame to shrink. It was hope -- the hope that triumphs\par
on the rack -- that whispers to the death-condemned even in the\par
dungeons of the Inquisition.\par
\par
I saw that some ten or twelve vibrations would bring the steel in\par
actual contact with my robe, and with this observation there suddenly\par
came over my spirit all the keen, collected calmness of despair. For\par
the first time during many hours -- or perhaps days -- I thought. It\par
now occurred to me that the bandage, or surcingle, which enveloped\par
me, was unique. I was tied by no separate cord. The first stroke of\par
the razorlike crescent athwart any portion of the band, would so\par
detach it that it might be unwound from my person by means of my left\par
hand. But how fearful, in that case, the proximity of the steel! The\par
result of the slightest struggle how deadly! Was it likely, moreover,\par
that the minions of the torturer had not foreseen and provided for\par
this possibility! Was it probable that the bandage crossed my bosom\par
in the track of the pendulum? Dreading to find my faint, and, as it\par
seemed, in last hope frustrated, I so far elevated my head as to\par
obtain a distinct view of my breast. The surcingle enveloped my limbs\par
and body close in all directions -- save in the path of the\par
destroying crescent.\par
\par
Scarcely had I dropped my head back into its original position, when\par
there flashed upon my mind what I cannot better describe than as the\par
unformed half of that idea of deliverance to which I have previously\par
alluded, and of which a moiety only floated indeterminately through\par
my brain when I raised food to my burning lips. The whole thought was\par
now present -- feeble, scarcely sane, scarcely definite, -- but still\par
entire. I proceeded at once, with the nervous energy of despair, to\par
attempt its execution.\par
\par
For many hours the immediate vicinity of the low framework upon which\par
I lay, had been literally swarming with rats. They were wild, bold,\par
ravenous; their red eyes glaring upon me as if they waited but for\par
motionlessness on my part to make me their prey. "To what food," I\par
thought, "have they been accustomed in the well?"\par
\par
They had devoured, in spite of all my efforts to prevent them, all\par
but a small remnant of the contents of the dish. I had fallen into an\par
habitual see-saw, or wave of the hand about the platter: and, at\par
length, the unconscious uniformity of the movement deprived it of\par
effect. In their voracity the vermin frequently fastened their sharp\par
fangs in my fingers. With the particles of the oily and spicy viand\par
which now remained, I thoroughly rubbed the bandage wherever I could\par
reach it; then, raising my hand from the floor, I lay breathlessly\par
still.\par
\par
At first the ravenous animals were startled and terrified at the\par
change -- at the cessation of movement. They shrank alarmedly back;\par
many sought the well. But this was only for a moment. I had not\par
counted in vain upon their voracity. Observing that I remained\par
without motion, one or two of the boldest leaped upon the frame-work,\par
and smelt at the surcingle. This seemed the signal for a general\par
rush. Forth from the well they hurried in fresh troops. They clung to\par
the wood -- they overran it, and leaped in hundreds upon my person.\par
The measured movement of the pendulum disturbed them not at all.\par
Avoiding its strokes they busied themselves with the anointed\par
bandage. They pressed -- they swarmed upon me in ever accumulating\par
heaps. They writhed upon my throat; their cold lips sought my own; I\par
was half stifled by their thronging pressure; disgust, for which the\par
world has no name, swelled my bosom, and chilled, with a heavy\par
clamminess, my heart. Yet one minute, and I felt that the struggle\par
would be over. Plainly I perceived the loosening of the bandage. I\par
knew that in more than one place it must be already severed. With a\par
more than human resolution I lay still.\par
\par
Nor had I erred in my calculations -- nor had I endured in vain. I at\par
length felt that I was free. The surcingle hung in ribands from my\par
body. But the stroke of the pendulum already pressed upon my bosom.\par
It had divided the serge of the robe. It had cut through the linen\par
beneath. Twice again it swung, and a sharp sense of pain shot through\par
every nerve. But the moment of escape had arrived. At a wave of my\par
hand my deliverers hurried tumultuously away. With a steady movement\par
-- cautious, sidelong, shrinking, and slow -- I slid from the embrace\par
of the bandage and beyond the reach of the scimitar. For the moment,\par
at least, I was free.\par
\par
Free! -- and in the grasp of the Inquisition! I had scarcely stepped\par
from my wooden bed of horror upon the stone floor of the prison, when\par
the motion of the hellish machine ceased and I beheld it drawn up, by\par
some invisible force, through the ceiling. This was a lesson which I\par
took desperately to heart. My every motion was undoubtedly watched.\par
Free! -- I had but escaped death in one form of agony, to be\par
delivered unto worse than death in some other. With that thought I\par
rolled my eves nervously around on the barriers of iron that hemmed\par
me in. Something unusual -- some change which, at first, I could not\par
appreciate distinctly -- it was obvious, had taken place in the\par
apartment. For many minutes of a dreamy and trembling abstraction, I\par
busied myself in vain, unconnected conjecture. During this period, I\par
became aware, for the first time, of the origin of the sulphurous\par
light which illumined the cell. It proceeded from a fissure, about\par
half an inch in width, extending entirely around the prison at the\par
base of the walls, which thus appeared, and were, completely\par
separated from the floor. I endeavored, but of course in vain, to\par
look through the aperture.\par
\par
As I arose from the attempt, the mystery of the alteration in the\par
chamber broke at once upon my understanding. I have observed that,\par
although the outlines of the figures upon the walls were sufficiently\par
distinct, yet the colors seemed blurred and indefinite. These colors\par
had now assumed, and were momentarily assuming, a startling and most\par
intense brilliancy, that gave to the spectral and fiendish\par
portraitures an aspect that might have thrilled even firmer nerves\par
than my own. Demon eyes, of a wild and ghastly vivacity, glared upon\par
me in a thousand directions, where none had been visible before, and\par
gleamed with the lurid lustre of a fire that I could not force my\par
imagination to regard as unreal.\par
\par
Unreal! -- Even while I breathed there came to my nostrils the breath\par
of the vapour of heated iron! A suffocating odour pervaded the\par
prison! A deeper glow settled each moment in the eyes that glared at\par
my agonies! A richer tint of crimson diffused itself over the\par
pictured horrors of blood. I panted! I gasped for breath! There could\par
be no doubt of the design of my tormentors -- oh! most unrelenting!\par
oh! most demoniac of men! I shrank from the glowing metal to the\par
centre of the cell. Amid the thought of the fiery destruction that\par
impended, the idea of the coolness of the well came over my soul like\par
balm. I rushed to its deadly brink. I threw my straining vision\par
below. The glare from the enkindled roof illumined its inmost\par
recesses. Yet, for a wild moment, did my spirit refuse to comprehend\par
the meaning of what I saw. At length it forced -- it wrestled its way\par
into my soul -- it burned itself in upon my shuddering reason. -- Oh!\par
for a voice to speak! -- oh! horror! -- oh! any horror but this! With\par
a shriek, I rushed from the margin, and buried my face in my hands --\par
weeping bitterly.\par
\par
The heat rapidly increased, and once again I looked up, shuddering as\par
with a fit of the ague. There had been a second change in the cell --\par
and now the change was obviously in the form. As before, it was in\par
vain that I, at first, endeavoured to appreciate or understand what\par
was taking place. But not long was I left in doubt. The Inquisitorial\par
vengeance had been hurried by my two-fold escape, and there was to be\par
no more dallying with the King of Terrors. The room had been square.\par
I saw that two of its iron angles were now acute -- two,\par
consequently, obtuse. The fearful difference quickly increased with a\par
low rumbling or moaning sound. In an instant the apartment had\par
shifted its form into that of a lozenge. But the alteration stopped\par
not here-I neither hoped nor desired it to stop. I could have clasped\par
the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I\par
said, "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I have not known\par
that into the pit it was the object of the burning iron to urge me?\par
Could I resist its glow? or, if even that, could I withstand its\par
pressure And now, flatter and flatter grew the lozenge, with a\par
rapidity that left me no time for contemplation. Its centre, and of\par
course, its greatest width, came just over the yawning gulf. I shrank\par
back -- but the closing walls pressed me resistlessly onward. At\par
length for my seared and writhing body there was no longer an inch of\par
foothold on the firm floor of the prison. I struggled no more, but\par
the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long, and final scream\par
of despair. I felt that I tottered upon the brink -- I averted my\par
eyes --\par
\par
There was a discordant hum of human voices! There was a loud blast as\par
of many trumpets! There was a harsh grating as of a thousand\par
thunders! The fiery walls rushed back! An outstretched arm caught my\par
own as I fell, fainting, into the abyss. It was that of General\par
Lasalle. The French army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in\par
the hands of its enemies.\par
\par
~~~ End of Text ~~~\par
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